New York State Department of Transportation


The New York State Department of Transportation is the department of the New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S. state of New York.

Transportation infrastructure

New York's transportation network includes:
NYS DOT has several Traffic Management Centers located throughout the 11 regions in New York State.
Region 1 is also the home to the NYS DOT STICC which is staffed 24/7. The STICC is responsible for the coordination & logistics of statewide resources during major incidents within New York State and is currently located on the 1st floor of the DOT Headquarters in Colonie, NY.

Organization

Its regulations are compiled in title 17 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. The department comprises 11 regional offices and 68 county transportation maintenance residencies. Tioga County was moved from Region 6 to Region 9 in August 2007, and Wayne County was moved from Region 3 to Region 4 in the late 1990s.
NYSDOT regions and the counties they serve are:
RegionMain officeCounties served
1 ColonieAlbany, Essex, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, Washington
2 UticaFulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida
3 SyracuseCayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Oswego, Seneca, Tompkins
4 RochesterGenesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Wayne, Wyoming
5 BuffaloCattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara
6 HornellAllegany, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Yates
7 WatertownClinton, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence
8 PoughkeepsieColumbia, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, Westchester
9 BinghamtonBroome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, Tioga
10 HauppaugeNassau, Suffolk
11 Long Island CityBronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond

History

The history of the New York State Department of Transportation and its predecessors spans over two centuries:
  • In 1781, the Office of Surveyor General was reorganized from its colonial Dutch and English beginnings to survey lands that had been vested in the state during and following the Revolutionary War.
  • In 1810, the Erie Canal Commission was established to build the Erie Canal, and afterwards the canal commissioners oversaw maintenance and enlargement of the canals
  • In 1848, the Office of State Engineer and Surveyor succeeded the Surveyor General's Office.
  • In 1878, the Superintendent of Public Works took over the duties of the canal commissioners.
  • In 1907, the Public Service Commission assumed responsibility for the economic and safety regulation of privately operated transportation; railroad and bus safety inspection; and, approval for the installation of protection for or elimination of at-grade rail highway crossings.
  • In 1908, the New York State Department of Highways was established by the Highway Act. It was headed by a three-member Highway Commission, appointed in 1909.
  • In 1911, the Highway Commission was abolished, and was succeeded by a State Superintendent of Highways.
  • In 1927, the Department of Public Works took over the duties of the State Engineer and Surveyor, unifying responsibility for highways, canals and public buildings,
  • In 1967, the Department of Transportation was formed to deal with the state's complex transportation system, and absorbed among others the Department of Public Works.
The first head of the New York State Department of Transportation was the former head of the New York State Department of Public Works John Burch McMorran. The first Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation was Edward Burton Hughes, who had formerly been Deputy Superintendent of the New York State Department of Public Works, a role he had worked in continuously since 1952. Both appointments were engaged by Governor Nelson Rockefeller.